need help understanding skid suspension

[birdmayon]

I am so lost when it comes to understanding how the various skid suspension parts work together. I know a bit about suspension on street bikes, setting front and rear ride height, adjusting spring preload to set sag so the shock its working in its optimum range, etc. But I'm lost with sleds, between limiter straps ( especially having front and rear), transfer blocks, front and rear shocks which are coupled,...... does anyone have a good description of how it is all supposed to work together, interdependencies etc? I see so many drastically varying setups, I don't know where to start. Some people say almost zero preload on front skid shock, others say it should be cranked way up. Some say you need to reduce or eliminate transfer, how do you do that? I just picked up a new to me fx nytro, and reset all suspension to factory and figure I can tweak from there. My fear is this: my entire riding season is 1 week. I'm afraid that the d sled is going to be so out of whack, that I won't have enough time or understanding of how the skid works as a system, with all of those variables, that I'll just end up chasing my tail and never get close to dialing it in. So, I'm hoping for some good explanations, and a good starting point for my base model nytro suspension. I looked up the setup tips in the FAQ, but didn't find much for my sled
Thanks

 

[Turtle]

Here's a document I came across a few years ago put out by Ohlins. It's not Yamaha specific, but it does a good job of explaining the results you can expect by the variables you change ... limit straps, spring preloads, compression, rebound, etc.

It's a good read and will help you to create a plan for testing and setting up your suspension for how you ride.

 

[birdmayon]

Thanks thrasher, that's awesome, seems like a really helpful write-up, I will print that out and bring it with me.

 

[LJ 452]

What year, and any mods that have been done to the sled will greatly affect how a setup will react and feel. Heck, even just difference of opinion from rider to rider will be enough to confuse anyone. Some prefer heavier but positive steering, some prefer maximum shock travel for large hits, some prefer low rider mode for carving. Just keep all of that in mind when reading about setups on this site. Look at the location and riding style as that will greatly determine what is considered a "Great Setup". I had an S.E. with a 128" track, Curve's skis, 1" Hacksaw, Hygear trail pro, Air ressi's up front, Oilite bushings, all around, and I guarantee you my setup would have been terrible on a stock shorty.

Also keep in mind what you want to do (how/what you ride). Blown out trails will require much stiffer settings, quicker coupling, max travel, while groomed smoother trails, you'll want to pull the straps tighter, and drop the front to help in the cornering department. You're not going to set it up and love it all day. You will find the sled will handle great for certain conditions, time of day, etc, then be terrible for other conditions, best thing you can do is make notes of when it works, and when it doesn't. That will tell you what you need to change to find the "Happy-Medium" for all day fun.

There are posts that have beaten this to death so do some searching, but, the best thing you can do for the handling now will be to check the sled over, front end especially, make sure the bushings, ball-joints, rod ends are all tight.